Idaho lawmaker pulls his Medicaid gap bill

The chairman of the House Health and Welfare Committee says his $10 million proposal to provide limited primary care services to Idahoans poorest doesn’t have enough votes to pass a legislative hearing.

The Lewiston Tribune reported that Rep. Fred Wood, a Republican from Burley, said Feb. 28 that his bill will likely not move forward this session.

Instead, Wood, who is a physician, told members on the Joint Millennium Fund panel — which doles out the state’s share of a multibillion-dollar class-action tobacco settlement — that the fund should no longer solicit grant applications next year. Doing so would provide possible funding for Idahoans who earn too much to qualify for Medicaid and too little to qualify for health insurance premium subsidies.

There have been no other proposals introduced this legislative session to address Idaho’s Medicaid gap population.